Thanks to DNA, we now know who killed Laura Kempton in September 1981. Ronney James Lee, then 21, lived and worked in Portsmouth at that time. “There is no indication that he knew or was acquainted with Laura Kempton,” said Assistant Attorney General Rachel Harrington. In this article you can learn more about Lee. In […]
Forensics
Methodology on Trial
The methodology of Investigative Genetic Genealogy will go on trial in Canada. The hearing is set for the week of June 19-23. The case is brought by the defense for double-murder suspect Leonard Cochrane. Cochrane is on trial for two counts of first-degree murder in the July 11, 1994 shooting deaths of Barry Buchart and […]
Adam Gray: exonerated and awarded $27 million
I told you to watch the case of Adam Gray. The same flawed and overhauled technology used in forensic arson detection that resulted in Cameron Todd Willingham’s death sentence and that bears eerie similarities to Kenneth Richey’s case, moved a federal jury to award Adam Gray $27 million. Wrongfully convicted, Adam served 24 years in […]
Sharron Prior: DNA confirmed
As posted earlier, the Canadian authorities have been able to match DNA found at the Sharron Prior crime scene to the West Virginia Romine Family. Two brothers voluntarily gave their DNA. Their profiles showed a close but partial match to that what was found at Sharron Prior’s crime scene. These two brothers were never suspects. […]
Identified: Joseph Augustus Zarelli
On Thursday, December 8, 2022, the Philadelphia Police Department announced the name of the child know as the Boy in the Box: Joseph Augustus Zarelli. He was four years old. On February 25, 1957 Joseph Augustus Zarelli was found dead inside a cardboard box that was left on an empty lot near then Susquehanna Road […]
Zeigler closer to modern DNA testing
On Oct 27, Florida Circuit Judge Patricia L. Strowbridge brought William Thomas Zeigler a step closer to proving that he is innocent. The 77-year-old has said so from the start. The preserved evidence pieces of guns, victim fingernail clippings and clothes will prove that he did not kill four people in 1975. Modern DNA testing […]
William Peter Cook: A Forensic Science Follow Up by Sue Carney
William Peter Cook (Dec 17, 1924 – Oct 20, 1950): A Forensic Science Follow Up by Sue Carney December 06, 2021 I love a forensic science chat on Twitter, and it’s been a while since I’ve had one, so when Alice wanted to chat last weekend about an upcoming post on DCC, I was totally up […]
The Ethics of Forensic Genealogy part 4
In part 4 of my series on Forensic Genealogy, we look at what is happening in Iowa. The Iowa Supreme Court, in a 4-3 split, decided on June 18, 2021, to ban police from searching the people’s uncollected trash without a warrant. In doing so they outlawed a decades old investigative technique. The Justices said […]
The Ethics of Forensic Genealogy part 3
Two US states have enacted bills to protect people’s privacy when the authorities use commercial direct-to-consumer DNA databases and forensic genealogy to solve old crimes. What happens when they use DNA databases? Police use DNA from an old unsolved crime scene and compare it to genetic online profiles in commercial DNA databases. They will try […]
Neosho Grace Doe is Shawna Beth Garber
Now officially identified as Shawna Beth Garber (born March 1, 1968) she was known as the ‘McDonald County Grace Doe’ and on my website as Neosho Grace Doe. Why did I give her that name? After her remains were recovered, Detective Lorie Howard sent them to Freeman Hospital in Neosho and the scans were sent […]
The Ethics of Forensic Genealogy part 2
In March 2019, I wrote about the Ethics in Forensic Genealogy. I indicated that while there was room for joy, because we would be able to solve old crimes, that there was also room for concern. In part 2, I’d like to highlight some of those concerns. Forensic Genealogy is not just instrumental in catching […]
DNA profile breach
From TechCrunch: “GEDmatch, the DNA analysis site that police used to catch the so-called Golden State Killer, was pulled briefly offline on Sunday while its parent company investigated how its users’ DNA profile data apparently became available to law enforcement searches. The company confirmed Wednesday that the permissions change was caused by a breach.” GEDmatch […]
Detecting DNA
In the post I wrote about Gina Renee Hall, I mentioned that her sister Diane “was introduced to Dr. Arpad Vass, a forensic anthropologist who had invented an instrument to detect DNA buried beneath the surface. Since then, Gina’s remains have been discovered across eight locations throughout the New River Valley using that device.” Vass’ website states that […]
Gina Renee Hall partial remains found
Gina Renee Hall went missing on June 28, 1980. She was a freshman at Radford University, Radford, Virginia. After a night out in Blacksburg, she left with Stephen Epperly, a former Virginia Tech football player. Epperly was ultimately charged with Hall’s murder and “became the first person in Virginia — and only the fourth in […]
Justice for Cheri Domingo and Greg Sanchez
Justice at last. On June 29, 2020 at 130pm EST, we heard Joseph James DeAngelo Jr., a.k.a. the Golden State Killer plead guilty to the murders of Cheri Domingo and Greg Sanchez. Today, DeAngelo Jr is pleading guilty to a string or murders, rapes, robberies, and other crimes that were committed from the mid-70s to […]
Is the use of genetic testing constitutional?
Genetic testing is what finally brought the case of Michelle Marie Martinko in court. Jerry Lynn Burns (66) was found guilty of Michelle’s 1979 murder based on genetic testing of DNA. He is awaiting his sentencing hearing. It will be the mandatory life sentence. In the meantime, his attorney, Leon Spies, is working on the […]
Zeigler: moral right denied
The Tampa Bay Times reports that the Florida State Attorney Aramis Ayala has rejected the appeal made on behalf of William Thomas Zeigler to have his pre-trial evidence from the 70s tested with modern DNA technology. Ayala denied this request “even though her conviction integrity unit urged her in April to grant it, saying it […]
Remembering Gwen Vivian Miller
Gwen Vivian Miller (Nov 4, 1907 – Feb 29, 1968) was murdered inside her home in Rapid City, South Dakota. She was 60 years old. She never married and had no children. Gwen worked as a hospital pharmacist at the Bennett-Clarkson Memorial Hospital (now Rapid City Regional) in Rapid City. Her colleagues went to her […]
Daniel Dougherty: third trial
On March 27, 2019, the third trial started for Daniel Dougherty. In 2000, Daniel Dougherty was found guilty of the 1985 arson that killed his two sons, Danny (4) and Johnny (3). Police arrested Dougherty in 1999 after his estranged wife and mother of the two children claimed he had confessed. A jury found him guilty […]
The Ethics of Forensic Genealogy
Introduction Lately, we have seen numerous cases that were unsolved for decades, where the use of forensic genealogy provided authorities with answers. Checking people’s family trees based on characteristics from the DNA sample on file has given us a string of cases where a suspect has now been identified. The media started to pick up […]